Pretending
by pahlee
Summary: "...I'm tired of pretending." Akane said, clutching the hem of her shirt, "I'm tired of it all..." Ranma stared back at    her, his eyes flashing the hurt from her words as he replied, "Pretending to do what?"
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: **Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. **  
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**Pretending**

by pahlee

Even though most thing are not what they seem, it is hard to ignore everything that has led up to that point. As normal as it can be, the day began with Akane running towards school with her bag swinging by her side and Ranma, effortlessly running alongside her on the fence to reach school.

"We're going to be late!" Akane said, exasperated.

"When aren't we?" Ranma replied back, grinning to himself.

Ranma stared at Akane's back, her hair flowing side to side as she strides went longer as she caught her breath replying, "Shut up Ranma, and let's go!"

So, without another word, Ranma gave a half-smile to his fiancée and just nodded his head in agreement as they headed to Furikan High.

At the gate of the school stood Kuno waited with a grin on his face, "OH! Tendo Akane, come, let me embrace you and free you from the evil sorcerer of Saotome!" He said as he ran towards her with open arms with a wild expression on his face.

"I don't have time for this today!" Akane said as she jumped up, landing a kick on his face, letting him falter to the ground. As soon as she came into contact with the ground, she hopped off and continued running towards the school. Ranma stopped next to the unconscious Kuno, kneeling down to inspect his fiancee's work, he smirked. _She did a number on him today_. Ranma then looked up to see the clock on the school tower, as he too ran inside.

Akane sat at her desk, her notebook open and she was leaned over scribbling something in it. The bell rang, and the students all took their seats, Ranma came in at the last second, scrambling to his seat. He sighed as he plopped down, but raised an eyebrow over towards Akane, who had her head hunched over.

_Wonder what she's doing?_

Ranma sighed as he perched his chin in his hand, and stared forward while the teacher announced the daily going-ons and the assignment. He sighed and let his mind wander for a while, wondering why Akane was so urgent today, of all days.

Akane let out a soft sigh as she looked down at the note she scribbled and smiled, thinking to herself, "It's going to be a good day, with or without the help of that -" she quickly stole a glance over to Ranma, "-Jerk!" She quickly placed the note into her bag, in-between two folders so she can easily access it later. She then sat up and began to listen for today's assignment.

At lunch hour, something felt...off. Ranma sat up in his seat he was previously slouching in, to look at his two friends, Daisuke and Hiroshi, sitting across from him eating their lunch. Hiroshi raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong, Ranma?" Ranma leaned back in his chair, his arms behind his head, "I dunno...feels like somethin' is not right."

Daisuke and Hiroshi gave a smirk to one another, "Can't keep your mind off Akane, can ya'?"

Ranma bolted from his seat, "Who'd want to think of that uncute violent tomboy!"

He stopped, he said those words. He groaned as he expected to feel Akane's presence behind him, her aura flaring up - but, he did not. Ranma turned around and saw that there was no one behind him ready to flatter him with insults, or the mallet for that matter. "Huh?" He muttered out.

"Akane left the school grounds at the lunch hour," Yuka called from across the room.

_Akane left? Where did she go? Dammit! She doesn't keep secrets from me...!_

Thoughts raced through Ranma's mind as he sat there with his friends, he knew he shouldn't go after her at this point, seeing how she willingly did this on her own accord, but part of him (his heart) told him to go after her. He felt his face getting hot, a blush on the onset, but he shook his head and stared out the windows, sighing, "Stupid tomboy, where'd ya' go?"

Akane smiled as she walked down the shopping district with a bag clutched to her chest, she gave her smile that she was notoriously known for all the while getting stares from boys as she passed. She shook her head, noting that none of this will alter her attitude for the day. She looked up at the blue sky, which is unusual in Nerima, and smiled nonetheless. She held onto the little bag and went her way back to school.

The bell rang, signaling that lunch break was over, but Akane was not back yet. Ranma peered over to Akane's empty seat, tapping his fingers on his desk, thinking, "...Where is she?" A strike of worry hit him, but he could not compel himself to get up and leave the class - what would the other students think? What would Akane think?

_Probably something stupid like, 'Baka, Ranma...I don't have to tell you where I'm going...' or something along the lines of, 'Were ya' worried about me ya' jerk?' or even worse 'I was out on a date!"_

Ranma shook his head violently at the last one, was he losing his mind? What would it matter if that tomboy dated someo-...actually it mattered a lot and he clenched his fist with anger forming, he muttered, "Betta' not be last one..." Some of his classmates heard his words and stared at him a bit funny.

The teacher looked up, "Tendo? Tendo Akane? Where is that girl?"

Right then, the door opened and there stood a red faced Akane who clutched a small parcel in her midst, she bowed, "I'm sorry!" She was out of breath, Ranma noted that she probably ran like hell to get here; he could not help but smile on the inside. The teacher looked over and gave an approving nod, "That's alright, since you usually do not do this, I will let it slide, please return to your seat Ms. Tendo." Akane stood straight up and nodded her head and made her way back.

She placed the parcel in her desk.

At the end of the school day, Akane once again left - and once again left undetected by Ranma. This seemed to tick Ranma off more than the fact that she left. He clenched his fist, "What is she up to?" He decided to leave Akane alone, probably for the best, seeing how she didn't trust him in the first place to know what she was up to. He took the shortcut home.

His thoughts raced about a certain tomboy, all the while he tried to fight off the blush on his face as he laughed to himself, "If she was here, she'd really call me a pervert then, haha!" As most boys his ages, thoughts like those presented themselves whenever, and he did not mind, it was always about Akane.

Only Akane.

Akane had raced home without anyone knowing, she smiled as she did not have to announce her arrival. She went into the dining room, digging through her bags and between the two folders grabbed the paper and sat it down. She then went straight to the guest room where Ranma and his father slept, she sat down and opened up the parcel and unwrapped the gift, she smiled as she put it up on the door.

It was a duck, much like the one on Akane's and her sister's doors that had Saotome's engraved into it.

She stood back, and smiled, "Doesn't matter if he thinks it's stupid," she muttered as she went to her room, with a smile on her face, "It's been 2 years now...stupid jerk probably forgot." She laid on her bed and fell asleep.

On his way home, Shampoo crossed paths with Ranma while on a delivery return, "NI HAO! Airen!" Shampoo said as she jumped from her bike and her arms wrapping around him in a huge hug, "Airen take Shampoo on date now!" she said in a happy perky voice that annoyed Ranma to no end. His eye twitched and he attempted to get the Amazon off him, "No!"

It was hard to get rid of Shampoo, that is until Ranma noticed that she still had a few deliveries in her box, saying, "Wouldn't tha' old ghoul get angry at cha' if you don't finish up your route?" Shampoo gasped, "Oh! Airen right! Wo ai ni! Date Shampoo tomorrow!" she let go of him, the force knocking Ranma over to the side as the crazy Amazon grabbed her bike and rode off. Ranma sighed, and gathered himself up, he looked up at the sky, it was getting late. Better head home!

"I'm home!" He said as he took his shoes off, no one answered.

He walked into the dining room where a note sat on the table.

_Ranma -_

_Kasumi didn't have the time to write the message this morning, so she asked me to. Kasumi will be out until tomorrow evening, she will be attending a seminar with Dr. Tofu in Kyoto. Nabiki is over at a friends' house, and our fathers are at a GO tournament (no surprise there, huh?). _

_Kasumi left us some food in the kitchen._

_Help yourself! Please don't wake me if I am sleeping when you get home._

_Thank you._

_-Akane_

Ranma could not help but let out a laugh, "So that's what she was doing this morning..huh." He looked towards the fridge and opened it, sure enough in Akane's scrawl was some food that said his name. He took it and devoured it - Saotome style!

After he ate his full, he sat there, looking at the blank television. He noticed something, his reflection was not the only thing in the TV. He turned around to see a tired Akane, rubbing her eyes as she let out a little yawn. Ranma could not help how cute she looked and turned back around, blushing.

"What's with you?" He asked, his mouth just talking, without thinking.

Akane let down her hand as she finished yawning, raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself, "Stupid." She did not answer him as she went to get her own dish and silently ate, while Ranma sat there with his back to her. He waited for an answer, but he knew he wasn't going to get one.

He turned around and faced his fiancée, "Well?"

"Well, what?" Akane said coolly as she ate a pickle.

"What's. With. You," he said enunciating each word.

"Nothing," she said as she turned her head to eat in another direction.

"That's a lie."

"When do I ever lie?"

"..."

Akane stood up, "Look..." she mustered up herself, "It's nothing too concerning. I'm going back to bed..."

She left him sitting there, Ranma sighed as he got up and washed the dishes he and Akane used, as he returned back to the table, he noticed her cup for tea that he forgot. He picked it up, and saw there was still some left, he took a swig - and at that moment, blushed furiously as he brought the dish into the kitchen.

To him, it was an indirect kiss, something - that even he, Ranma Saotome, was ... not able to really give Akane.

He trudged himself to his room, ignoring the fact he wanted to bathe. He stopped as he got to the door, his heart stopped. A part of him just fluttered away as he saw the duck on the door. That's when he realized something, how long has it been? About 2 years now, since he moved in with the Tendos. Fell in lo-..fell in love with Akane.

Two years.

Akane couldn't sleep, she sat up in her bed, she muttered to herself, "I knew it, the jerk did forget..and after all that we've been through! I-I don't think I can..do this anymore." She looked out her window, fighting back the tears, "Why did I have to fall in love with someone like him?" She hanged her head down to look at feet at the end of the bed when she heard a knock at the door.

"..'Kane?" he said through the door.

"Come in." Akane said, sighing as she wiped her on-coming tears away with the back of her hand, looking strong and getting out of bed.

Ranma stood there, this familiar ground they shared when they usually got in a fight settled in the surroundings, but he ignored it and he clenched his fist.

"I'm sorry." he said, "I ..I forgot."

Akane tilted her head, she didn't smile, "It's fine...it's expected."

Ranma's temper got to him, "EXPECTED?"

"THAT'S RIGHT, JERK!" Akane yelled back.

"DAMMIT AKANE, WHAT THE HELL?" he replied.

"YOU NEVER REMEMBER ANYTHING...ANYTHING..THA-THAT RELATES TO ME! TO US!" she said, starting to lower her voice.

"...I'm tired of pretending." Akane said, clutching the hem of her shirt, "I'm tired of it all..." Ranma stared back at her, his eyes flashing the hurt from her words as he replied, "Pretending to do what?"

Akane's eyes swelled with tears as she turned away from him, "-hating you!"

"A-Akane," was all he managed to get out before the girl that was once there, disappeared into the night. He clutched his fists, the knuckles turning white, as he ran after her. Who said he wasn't tired of it either?

He loves her, and only her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** More than likely there will be a part 2 to this one-shot! Sorry if they seem too OOC, this was just an idea that was sitting in my mind. I'm sorry ahead of time, I'm not the best writer in the world. Thanks so much for reading this. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:** Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

**Pretending II**  
>by pahlee<p>

The moment Akane brushed aside him, was the moment his heart stopped beating. Her tears running down the side of her face as she hurriedly went down the stairs hit him with a pang of guilt. It did not take more than a mere moment for him to turn around and run after her, he was not only angry at her, but at himself.

Ranma Saotome of Anything Goes Martial Arts can battle monsters, demons, and other martial artists with no problem, but making a girl cry, making _Akane_ cry gave him problems.

_Does she mean she..she might like me? She's just been, pretending this whole time?_

Is that why she acted the way she was? Was it all feigned in order to hide her real emotions? Ranma could not think of any other reason as he ran through the house and through the open door Akane left carelessly open as she ran out into the streets.

_Stupid tomboy, stupid, stupid….stupid. I'm tired of pretending too!_

He muttered to himself as he followed her, running after her. He was used to antics like this, but not as serious as this instance. Her crying face flashed before his eyes as he clenched them closed, not wanting to recollect that memory. When Ranma opened his eyes once more, he saw the flash of color around a corner, his eyes following, it was Akane. In a moment he would catch up with her, but...what would he do then?

His thoughts raced through his mind, "_Oh god! I didn't think that far ahead!" _he shook his head as he ran. He figured he can deal with it once he arrives.

"Akane!" he called out.

She did not turn around, instead she kept running. Tears still streaming down her face, her pride and ego did not want him to see her in this weakened state. She could not let him have that satisfaction that it was him who reduced her to this state.

_No way in hell_.

As if that was not the worse bit of it all, as she turned a corner she lost her footing and started to stumble towards the water next to the sidewalk. No fence separated her from the waters as she fell in.

"_**AKANE!"**_

The rush of the water entered her airways as she gasped for air, she reached up to the surface but her panicking made her sink faster. She gazed up to see bubbles surrounding her, the water engulfing her. Even in the water, her tears seemed to leave her eyes as she just hoped that this would be the end of it. End of it all.

That way, she did not_ have_ to pretend anymore.

Her vision blackened out as soon as a figure seemed to be swimming towards her, her eyes slowly closing as she saw a hint of red.

"Akane,"…Ranma, now in his girl form, muttered as she wiped her bangs out of her way and looked at the still figure of Akane who lay in her arms. Tears were starting in her eyes as she looked at Akane.

Just moments ago, Ranma was performing all the rituals he knew to save someone from drowning, but none of them seemed to work. She hunched over her body at the last moment, and just had to stop. Ranma did the only thing she knew to do – hold Akane.

Akane's body was cold – so **cold**.

"Stupid! You should watch where you're goin'," she said, laughing uneasily, trying to make the situation not as bad, "Ya' … ya' co-could hav' been more hu-hur…" he said as he bent over Akane's body, "Come on 'Kane..you're stronger than this," he cried, his tears starting to fall on Akane's face, "…"

Akane reached her hand out, "I-I know…I'm the macho to-tomboy…"

Her words came out slow as she coughed out water in between words as she looked at Ranma. The blue eyes stared back at her in disbelief to see her…smile.

Akane was smiling.

This melted Ranma's heart as he clutched Akane's body towards her and with every second, tightening the grip, "Don't** ever** scare me like that again!"

At the Tendo house, Akane was sitting in her room once again with a blanket over her shoulders, Ranma (now male form) sat at her desk, staring at Akane. Akane sighed as she clutched the blanket closer to her as she avoided eye contact with Ranma.

"What tha' hell where you thinking, running away like that?" Ranma said, still angry, but said it with a tone of worry.

Akane looked down, "That's the problem…"

Ranma looked at her, "What-?"

She sighed as she lifted her head up to stare at Ranma, looking into his eyes and saying once again, "That's the problem….I _wasn't_ thinking."

"That wouldn't be a first," Ranma scoffed, not thinking of how Akane might interpret that and suddenly regretted it as soon as he said it, "No, wait; that's not what I meant!" he tried to recover what he just said to her, stumbling over the words, but…Akane just smiled at him.

"I'm sorry, Ranma," she said in a low tone, "I'm sorry."

A silence fell between them, but soon broken by a soft sob coming from Akane, "I'm sorry. I..I tried so hard not to, but," her eyes looked at him, "…it was hard not to fall for you, I-I don't know, I felt weak..there's no way I can ever stand up to your standards. I'm sorry you got stuck with me."

"..And I'm sorry I pretended to hate you when in reality, I love you more than you'll ever know."

As soon as those words left her lips, Ranma sat there in silence.

"I-I won't hold you back," she said slowly, "You can achieve so much more without me," she said as she held onto her blanket, "I..I'm just tired of pretending Ranma, my heart – silly as it may seem," she looked towards the window, "Just can't take it anymore."

"Stupid."

That was all Ranma managed to say, he looked at Akane with a furrowed brow. This broke her heart even more, she knew he rejected her. How could she not see it coming? She had hopes, like any other girl, but knew…deep inside he could never choose someone like her: uncute, unsexy, tomboy… She turned her gaze back to Ranma, whose eyes seemed to be glazed over.

"I'm sorry for ever letting you _ever_ think that," he stood up and walked towards her, hugging her tightly, "It's stupid, so stupid…" he whispered into her ear, "That I let you think that."

Akane sniffed as she took the embrace, "What…?"

He let go of her and held her by the shoulders as he looked at her with seriousness in his demeanor, "Stop pretending…" his eyes softened as he leaned in closer to her face, "…that you don't know what this means."

The soft impact of their lips made the meaning known. Ranma held his fiancée close, and Akane, though reluctant at first, placed her arms around Ranma's neck and kissed him back. Through the kiss, Akane felt something wet run down her face, only it wasn't hers. She opened her eyes to see Ranma crying, he muttered in between the kiss, "I love you, Akane."

"I love you too, Ranma."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: There! Happy ending, right? I think it's a happy ending, well that's the end of this 2 part one-shot, or as a reviewer, _Megatyrant _said, a two-shot! :) I hope you enjoyed reading, once again – sorry if it's not up to par, I'm not the best writer!

Thank you, Brittany Williams, she's my editor/beta reader. :) She makes sure that my writing makes sense and catches grammatical errors! Because…sometimes my words make sense to me, I have to make sure others can understand what I'm portraying!

Thanks for hanging in there!


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